I am Enough and so are you

There was a period of my life where I only wore Toms shoes. I was obsessed. My wife is still obsessed.

I thought they were not only comfortable and stylish, but I loved the idea that every time I bought a pair of shoes from them, they’d give a pair of shoes to a child in need. Feeling like I was helping, albeit in a small way, felt good.

Last week, I started listening to latest episode of the Alive with Steve Burns podcast, titled Can Money Buy Happiness? with Blake Mycoskie. If you recognize Steve, it’s because he was the original host of Blue’s Clues. His podcast launched late last year and has offered a vulnerable look into not only his life, but life as a whole.

I’ll admit, I had no idea who Blake Mycoskie was before pressing play on this episode. In it Mycoskie, the former CEO of Toms who sold the company at the height of its success, detailed his experience after selling his shoe company and the crash that followed.

It was a sobering story, and one I can relate to. At one point Mycoskie was misdiagnosed as being bipolar, put on a ton of meds, and it ultimately led to him considering suicide.

While the latter two points aren’t relevant to me, when I was 20 I did have a therapist tell me I was bipolar after talking to me for an hour. It crushed me. At the time I was in college studying criminology, with a career goal of working for the FBI. A bipolar diagnosis all but meant my dream was dead. The best part? That therapist then ghosted me.

Misdiagnosis aside, hearing Mycoskie detail the feeling of having a successful career, walking away from it, then slowly feeling lost and worthless resonated with me. He had also lost confidence in himself.

I won’t spoil the rest of the episode, you really should listen to it, especially if anxiety and depression are a mainstay in your life.

But what I will spoil is that Mycoskie has a new project — a new purpose. It’s a company called Enough. Its goal is to raise awareness for mental health, but beyond awareness, Mycoskie is also donating 100% of the profits to mental health organizations.

Enough is selling a beaded leather bracelet, with green and white beads on the front combining to spell “ENOUGH”. Mycoskie, of course, took an approach similar to Toms and when you buy a bracelet, you actually receive two. The second is for you to gift to someone, either as a way to remind them that they are enough, or to thank them for reminding you.

I immediately ordered one after finishing the episode. I love this so much.